The Zodiac and its 12 Signs

by Naomi Bennett

The twelve signs of the zodiac have their origin in ancient Babylon and Egypt but other zodiacs are found around the world on all continents. They share similarities in motif, the division of twelve signs, and the four elements of water, earth, fire and air. Sacred geometry is prevalent in the arrangement of the signs. The Fire and Air signs are future oriented while the Water and Earth signs are past oriented. The ancients called them male or female. Water-Earth and Fire-Air always oppose the other as opposites of duality. They are evenly distributed as alternating pairs of past and future around the zodiac circle. Each element has three signs that are always 120 apart to create four triplicities. This arrangement creates pairs of duality, triplets of elements and quardranties of the crosses of cardinal, fixed and mutable. These are patterns of geometry of which astrology is a branch of mathematics applied to life.

The three Water elements represent our basic emotions. Cancer means individual survival or fear of starvation. Scorpio represents the procreation of the family or the sex drive. Pisces stands for social survival or our need to belong to a group. Each element is opposed by its opposite. The Water signs are opposed by Earth signs. The element Earth represent the holding back of the emotions or the containment of the instincts. Capricorn restricts the individual and gives prudence. Taurus holds back the sex drive to protect the family. Virgo gives practicality and conformity to our need to be part of society. The Fire signs represent our vital energy to create and push us into the future. Leo is the expansive self that pushes out into the world. Aries represents the future family and new heredity in children. Sagittarius is the drive for social change. Fire is always opposed by Air which stand for the intellect. Thought and ideas are paired with the vital energy of Fire to give direction. Aquarius is the genius of new ideas or invention. Libra is the idealization of beauty and attraction between the sexes to bring new heredity into the family. Gemini is the communication of new ideals to drive social evolution.

Individuals are more than their sun signs. They are a unique mixture of these twelve elements combined into unique patterns that are rarely duplicated except for twins born less than four minutes apart. Just like snowflakes, no two are alike.